Health Tips & Insights
Quick health tips from our physicians
The Power of Preventive Care
When life feels busy and your schedule is packed, it’s easy to put off a routine doctor’s visit — especially if you feel “just fine.” But preventive care isn’t about treating illness; it’s about staying ahead of it.
According to Healthy People 2030 (an initiative from HHS’s Office for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion), getting recommended preventive services lowers the risk of disease, disability, and early death—yet millions of adults still don’t get a checkup as often as they should.
At WestDocs Concierge (located in Mt Kisco, NY), we believe that a yearly preventive visit is one of the most powerful tools for protecting long-term health. It’s the moment where proactive medicine, early detection and personalized guidance, come together to prevent small issues from turning into serious conditions.
What is Preventive Care?
There are different levels of prevention.
Some medical conditions can be entirely avoided: you can vaccinate yourself against certain infections. You can avoid habits like drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes to prevent liver disease or lung cancer. A healthy diet can help prevent weight problems…This is what Primary Prevention is all about.
Unfortunately, most medical conditions arise from a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors, making Primary Prevention an impossible feat. It is in these cases where Secondary Prevention is of utmost importance: early detection can save lives. Secondary Prevention is designed to find problems early and reduce your risk of chronic disease.
So, what happens once an illness has developed? We can still prevent it from getting worse, coming back, or causing any new problems. We refer to this as Tertiary Prevention. Tertiary Prevention means helping you stay as healthy as possible after a serious illness or condition has already been diagnosed.
Our goal is to help you achieve the best quality of life you can have, to live life to its fullest. Disease or no disease.
Your annual preventive visit is your chance to:
- Track health trends over time, not just one lab result
- Catch silent conditions like high blood pressure, prediabetes, and high cholesterol
- Discuss age-appropriate cancer screenings and vaccines
- Get realistic, personalized lifestyle guidance that fits your life
Why Early Detection Matters
Many serious health problems develop quietly. High blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, some cancers, and thyroid disorders can all progress for years without obvious symptoms.
Screenings and preventive care help catch issues earlier, when treatment is more effective and complications are less likely. The American Cancer Society notes that cancer screening can find disease at an earlier stage, when it’s typically easier to treat. Moreover, the American Cancer Action Network has highlighted that early detection for certain cancers can improve survival and lower overall costs by finding disease at stages where treatment is less intensive.
At WestDocs Concierge, we focus on patterns over time and subtle early signals, not just abnormal numbers on a single lab report.
What Happens During a Preventive Visit at WestDocs Concierge?
A comprehensive preventive visit with our concierge primary care team typically includes:
1. Health Risk Assessment:
We review:
- Personal medical history
- Family medical history and inherited risk factors
- Personal habits and environmental exposures
- Current medications and supplements
- Prior tests, imaging, and diagnoses
This helps us understand your unique risk profile and where we can intervene early.
2. Head-to-Toe Physical Exam
We perform a detailed exam, including:
- Vital signs and body mass index
- Heart and lung evaluation
- Abdominal and neurological examination
- Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat exam
- Breast and genitourinary evaluation
- Skin, joint, and general physical health review
3. Evidence-Based Screenings
There are many screening tests available. Some are run in blood or urine samples, some use radiological images, some involve more invasive procedures (such as colonoscopies), and some are simple clinical questionnaires. Although the tests that your Primary Care Provider orders on a routine basis vary significantly from one provider to another and depend greatly on your age, sex, and risk factors, the United States Preventive Task Force publishes guidelines on a regular basis.
Some of the tests that we might recommend are:
- Complete blood counts to assess for anemia and other blood disorders
- Liver, kidneys and thyroid function tests
- Cholesterol and blood sugar levels
- Selective vitamin level measurements
- Screening for alcohol or drug abuse
- Screening for depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders
- Cancer screenings (such as mammogram, colonoscopy, Pap-smear, low-dose CT for lung cancer in eligible smokers or former smokers)
- Screening for Coronary Artery Disease or Peripheral Vascular Disease (including Aortic Aneurysms)
4. Advanced Screening: The Galleri® Multi-Cancer Early Detection Blood Test
For selected patients, we may offer the Galleri® multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test as an additional tool in a comprehensive prevention strategy.
- Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests are a newer type of lab test that look for signals associated with many cancers from a single blood sample.
- The Galleri test can detect signals associated with more than 50 types of cancer by analyzing DNA shed by cancer cells into the bloodstream.
It's important to know:
- MCED tests like Galleri do not replace guideline-recommended screening (such as mammograms, colonoscopy, Pap tests, or low-dose CT scans).
- These tests are not yet FDA-approved as standard cancer screening tools and may not be appropriate for everyone.
At WestDocs Concierge, we use advanced testing selectively, after a careful discussion of potential benefits, limitations, costs, and uncertainties, and always in combination with standard, evidence-based screening.
5. Lifestyle & Prevention Counseling
We provide practical, judgment-free guidance tailored to your life, including:
- Nutrition and healthy eating patterns
- Physical activity that fits your schedule and abilities
- Sleep quality and sleep apnea risk
- Stress management and mental well-being
- Tobacco and alcohol use
The goal is to agree on small, realistic steps that move you toward better long-term health.
6. Immunizations
We review your vaccination status and recommend age- and condition-appropriate vaccines based on current guidelines, such as:
- Influenza
- COVID-19
- Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough)
- Pneumococcal pneumonia
- Shingles
- RSV
- Hepatitis A/B
- Travel vaccines
For more on the importance of routine vaccines, visit the CDC’s preventive care page.
7. A Personalized Follow-Up Roadmap
You leave with a clear, customized plan that may include:
- Recommended screening intervals
- Timelines for follow-up testing
- Referrals to specialists, if needed
- Specific lifestyle goals and check-ins
Most importantly, your visit is a conversation, not a rushed appointment. Concierge medicine gives us the time to listen, answer questions, and build an ongoing relationship with you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Preventive Care
How often should I have a preventive visit?
Most adults benefit from at least one preventive visit per year, even if they feel healthy. Depending on your age, medical history, and risk factors, your physician may recommend more frequent follow-up.
Is a preventive visit the same as a "sick visit"?
No
A preventive visit focuses on screening, risk assessment, and long-term planning when you’re feeling well.
A sick visit focuses on diagnosing and treating a specific problem, like a sinus infection, ankle sprain, or acute flare of a chronic condition.
Do I really need screening tests if I feel fine?
Yes
Conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, prediabetes, sleep apnea, and some cancers can be present for years without noticeable symptoms. Screening tests help detect problems early, when treatment is more effective and complications are less likely. The American Cancer Society emphasizes that routine screenings can improve survival and, in some cases, even prevent cancer from appearing.
What is a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) blood test?
Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests are newer lab tests that look for signals associated with many cancer types from a single blood sample. The American Cancer Society notes that MCED tests are not yet FDA-approved as standard screening tools and should not replace recommended screening such as mammograms or colonoscopy.
At WestDocs Concierge, MCED blood tests like Galleri may be considered for certain patients as an adjunct to—not a substitute for—standard screening, after an informed discussion of benefits and limitations.
Is concierge medicine worth it for preventive care?
Concierge medicine offers:
- Longer visits and easier access to your physician
- More time to discuss prevention, lifestyle, and advanced screening options
- Closer follow-up on test results and referrals
- A stronger, ongoing relationship centered on your long-term health
If you value personalized attention, proactive prevention, and the ability to reach your physician more easily, concierge care can be a meaningful investment in your health.
Prevention Starts Now
You never know what you might uncover during a routine evaluation.
In our many years of practice, we have had many unexpected discoveries – an early breast cancer detected on a screening mammogram, a pancreatic tumor revealed by a low dose chest CT in a patient with a history of smoking, a hormonal imbalance in a young man with an unexpectedly feminine voice, or endometrial cancer in a woman presenting with postmenopausal spotting. All these patients had the opportunity to live long and happy lives thanks to an early diagnosis.
If it’s been more than a year since your last checkup, there’s no better time to prioritize your well-being. Preventive care is an investment in your future — one that pays off with every healthy year ahead.
Schedule your yearly preventive exam today with WestDocs Concierge - where prevention meets personalized care.
Call us today: 914-218-3838, or visit us at 344 E Main St, Ste 303, Mount Kisco, NY.
Ready to Prioritize Your Health?
Schedule your comprehensive preventive care visit with our board-certified physicians today.